Twenty Five

When she was first asked to enlist in Starfleet by Director Fury, Emily had little to no idea what to expect from the assignment. She hadn't planned on going into space or working on Starships. That was never part of the equation. But as she and McCoy became closer throughout their time together at the Academy, she began to realize how foolish that notion was.

McCoy had given her so much more than what she had to offer. She realized with a start how much she longed for the sense of normalcy he had to offer. It was something she had been deprived of for most of her life, even after she was adopted by Coulson. Maybe working on a ship wouldn't have been such a bad thing. That was what she kept trying to tell herself.

So the last thing she anticipated was having to meet with everyone else at the Hangar bay to report for duty. Security officers and commanding officers were already waiting for them. Emily and McCoy had gone inside together, though not without Kirk trailing after them like a puppy with its tail between its legs. Emily rolled her eyes at the sight.

Kirk had been an idiot for giving away her position during his trial. The worst part of it was, he would likely only get a reprimanding while she was expelled from the Academy. Luckily Kirk seemed to be oblivious to her presence as she and McCoy stood side-by-side. Even though she knew what ship she was assigned to, that didn't stop her from wanting to hear what ship he was assigned to.

As the commanding officer went over the list of names that were being assigned to the Enterprise, Emily's shoulders sank in relief. McCoy's name was among the list. Not that she wasn't surprised. He was at this point a senior medical officer, and she recalled Captain Pike revering his role within the medical center. Though she would never admit it out loud. It wasn't until feeling him glance at her that she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

'Don't go getting a big head, cowboy,' she gave him a playful nudge. 'Those were Pike's words, not mine.'

'I'll still take it,' he snorted in amusement.

Emily struggled not to smirk at that. It helped alleviate the worry clouding her thoughts. Yet that didn't stop her from thinking of what loomed ahead. The fact that she was being assigned to a Starship only added to her laundry list of things to worry about. About the only consolation she had was that she wouldn't be alone.

"Stay safe," McCoy whispered after realizing this was real.

"You do realize that this is Starfleet we're talking about?" she asked with a faint smile. "Out of all the hundreds of organizations that are available, I can think of numerous ones that are safer than going out into space."

Of everyone she had met over the years, McCoy hated Starfleet the most. His own roommate had originally planned on enlisting in Starfleet before his parents convinced him to join the medical field instead. So it wasn't entirely surprising that McCoy had a similar view.

Exploring space seemed like a fun idea at first, but after hearing about all the dangers that loomed before them, she understood why he wanted nothing to do with space. After experiencing the Kelvin incident, she wanted nothing to do with space herself. But it wasn't as if they had a choice in the matter, especially with a threat on Planet Vulcan looming ahead.

"I'm glad to know you've retained your sense of humor," McCoy snorted in annoyance.

She couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed. She wasted no time in kissing him firmly on the cheeks, knowing full-well that they would be headed into a shit-storm if life had its way. McCoy's face softened the moment their eyes met. And all at once, Emily found herself wishing they had more time.

Though it didn't help when she felt Kirk's glare boring through her. It was clear he hadn't forgiven her for lying to him all this time. What hurt the most was knowing that he would likely get away with this mess while the Fleet would more than likely lead a full-on investigation on her. She dreaded the moment that would happen.

'Kirk isn't about to get away with this mess,' he added to her silently.

'No, he probably won't,' she replied as they parted ways. 'But I understand why he reacted the way he did.'

She could practically feel McCoy roll his eyes at her last comment. He knew she was far more forgiving than she should have been of the situation. Hell, she was well aware that this mess could have been avoided had she told Kirk the truth from the start. Most of this could have been avoided had she been honest from the beginning, but stubbornness and fear had gotten the better of her.

She took a deep breath as she thought of what would happen once they were aboard the Enterprise. Memories of the Kelvin and the Romulan attack suddenly came rushing back. While she knew the odds of something similar happening would occur, she couldn't help but picture Kirk's face when he pushed her into the escape pod. All of this could have been avoided had they taken extra precaution. But, the crew hadn't been prepared for the Romulans when they appeared, and everything ended in chaos.

Her fingers gripped the seat a little harder than she intended when she heard the sound of a scuffle from outside. Emily peered over her shoulder in time to see McCoy arriving in the shuttle. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, until she saw that he was dragging Kirk along with him.

She narrowed her eyes after noticing that Kirk was sweating bullets, and it looked as if he was reacting to some kind of medical condition. McCoy threw her one look, and she could tell this was the last thing he wanted to do. If he was caught bringing someone aboard who had been banned from Starfleet operations, he could be seriously reprimanded, if not worse.

She grimaced at the thought, realizing that Kirk was a lucky bastard who had a good friend. After taking their seats and making sure Kirk was strapped beside the window, McCoy glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting hers. Emily couldn't help but offer a sympathetic smile after realizing why. He was terrified, and he was doing his best to hide it while Kirk suffered from whatever hell he was going through. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering how McCoy had such endless patience.

She tried pushing the uneasy thoughts aside when the shuttle finally took off. Everyone kept looking out of the tiny windows to see when the docking center would come into view. Starships were already preparing to leave for Planet Vulcan, but one ship caught Emily's attention.

Her eyes widened in amazement as a huge looking ship came into view. The Enterprise looked like a sleeker, newer version of the Kelvin. Its circular shape meant it was streamlined for smoother traveling. The biggest change were the two nasals strapped to either side of the ship.

To any engineer who played a part in designing the ship, they would have had a field day with it. It was an impressive site, and Emily almost wished she could take a picture for Steve's sake. He'd been asking what ships looked like in person, and that would have been the perfect opportunity to show him.

By the time the shuttle reached the hangar bay, Emily was more than ready to escape. She was the first among the crew to leave, shoving her way past Kirk to reach the changing room. Unlike SHIELD which had uniforms for every agent, Starfleet had different shirts for all the departments that worked on ships. And since she was a Liaison, she had to wear a gray shirt to show that she worked in every field possible.

Once she finished changing, she headed for the bridge where she could report to Captain Pike. Though, Emily secretly dreaded the moment she would face him. She knew after the trial from hell that he would have a few choice words for her. Especially since he normally sided with Kirk on just about everything.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Emily grimaced at the sound of Uhura's voice when she walked through the Engineering department. In order to get to the bridge, she had to walk through several departments before finally reaching the nearest turbolift, and she was bound to run into someone familiar. Even so, it took everything she had not to throw Uhura over her shoulder when the other woman put a hand on her shoulder. "I was there at the trial when Kirk told everyone."

Uhura was smart enough to keep her voice quiet, though Emily could hear the genuine concern within it. She nearly rolled her eyes as she turned to face the other woman, blinking in surprise when she saw actual sympathy when her eyes. She simply brushed Uhura's hand off her shoulder with a shrug, then she narrowed her eyes.

The last thing she wanted or needed was sympathy. She knew Kirk had been acting like an idiot for giving away her position during his trial. Though it did feel good to know that others acknowledged how wrong it was of him to pull off that stunt. Uhura was sensible enough to realize that Emily had her reasons for working for the agency, though she never bothered questioning why.

"Kirk was just being a goddamn idiot for telling everyone the truth just to keep himself out of trouble," she snapped without missing a beat. Uhura wasn't even surprised with her reaction. "Why are you so concerned about everything that happened anyways? I thought you and Kirk were friends."

She knew that wasn't entirely true. Uhura found Kirk just as annoying and obnoxious as she had. The only reason she was forced to hang out with him was because he enlisted her as part of his crew among the Kobyoshi Maru. She suspected that was mostly because Kirk was so determined to find out Uhura's first name, even after all the three years they had been together at the Academy.

"No, of course we aren't friends," Uhura shook her head in disbelief. "Even I know what he did back there was wrong... he crossed the lines by using his accusation as a way of getting out of his trial. I've seen what you're like, especially around Gaila and Commander Spock; it's obvious that you care about people."

Emily allowed herself a rare smile when Uhura saw right through her. The brunette was far more observant than she realized. Uhura had only spoken to her a few times whenever they were together, but those few times they were together was usually serious and regarding her personal history. She realized with a start that Uhura's trade secret was figuring people out without them realizing it.

"I was born and raised on a Starship for the first four years of my life," she explained with a shrug. "After that I was adopted by Phil Coulson... he gave me a second chance at life. Even after we moved to Georgia I knew what I wanted to do after graduating high school... although Stark's offer to work for him was tempting."

Uhura rose an eyebrow in surprise at the mention of Tony's last name. Most people around San Francisco knew his name just through the media reports. But his father's work was far more famous because of the legacy he left behind. Of course, Tony was more infamous than anything else. She was one of the few outsiders who knew the real Tony Stark.

"Coulson must have meant a lot to you," Uhura remarked with a small smile.

For a moment, Emily was taken aback by Uhura's statement. She'd only ever met Coulson once during their Thanksgiving get-together. Yet that seemed to be enough time for the brunette to remember everything about him. And it was enough for a sense of longing to suddenly come rushing back. Emily hadn't realized until then just how much she missed Coulson in that moment.

"I miss him," she said quietly. Uhura frowned when she noticed her suddenly drop in demeanor. "He died two years ago during a... training incident. He couldn't be saved."

It wasn't until hearing that when Uhura understood Emily's change in demeanor. It was clear Coulson's death shook her to the core. Yet that didn't stop her from putting on a brave face in front of those who cared about.

"I'm sorry," Uhura finally whispered.

"It isn't as if you had any control over it," Emily brushed it off with another shrug. "I just want to get this done and over with so that I have my old life back."

Before Uhura could answer, they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of shouting. Emily stiffened when Kirk ran towards them, covered in sweat and looking as if he'd run a marathon. She put enough distance between them so that she wouldn't try strangling him for giving away her position. The anger she felt towards him hadn't subsided. If anything, seeing him on the ship only made it worse.

"Uhura!"

"Dammit Jim! I need you to slow down!"

Emily nearly rolled her eyes at the sound of McCoy's voice when he finally reached them. He was pissed with Kirk for likely escaping medbay. Worst still was the fact that Kirk was dressed like a Starfleet Officer. She had no doubt that McCoy wouldn't hear the end of it for bringing Kirk on the ship with him.

Whatever Kirk was trying to say had been unintelligible. The symptoms he was suffering from were likely the cause of an allergic reaction to a vaccine McCoy had unwittingly used.

Eventually, Uhura was able to make out what Kirk tried telling her while McCoy continued jabbing hyposprays into his neck. The whole scene would have been hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that Kirk pointed something out that sent shivers of unease through Emily.

A lightning storm in space sounded eerily similar to what had happened before the Kelvin was attacked. She recalled seeing the dark, ominous clouds looming before the ship's viewing screen. Then suddenly, the Romulan ship appeared out of nowhere and began launching torpedoes at them.

Once Uhura figured out what Kirk was warning her about, the two of them headed off to the bridge to warn Pike.

"What the hell are they goin' on about?" McCoy asked when they raced after them.

"A lightning storm happened during the same time the Kelvin was attacked," she explained in a rush of air. "If what Kirk said was true, the ship is headed for an ambush that could easily be avoided... if Pike is willing to listen."

McCoy narrowed his eyes when he realized that she had experienced something similar to what Kirk had explained. It was clear from the look on his face that he had so much more to say. Neither of them had time to dwell on the matter as they reached the bridge.

"Captain! Captain Pike, sir, we have to stop this ship," Kirk called out the moment they had reached the bridge.

"Kirk, how the hell did you get aboard the Enterprise?" Captain Pike demanded, sounding furious.

"Captain," McCoy tried to explain as Pike looked at him expectantly, "This man's under the influence of a severe reaction of a Melvaran flea vaccine, completely delusional. I take full responsibility."

"Vulcan is not experiencing a natural disaster!" Kirk snapped, confirming Emily's worst fears. "It's being attacked by Romulans!"

"Romulans?" Captain Pike scoffed. "Cadet Kirk, I think you've had enough attention for one day. McCoy, take him back to medical with you. We'll have words later."

She had to admit, getting any kind of scolding from Pike didn't necessarily sound appealing. They hadn't spoken to each other since she signed up for classes again. Though, seeing the look Pike was giving her now told her that he had regrets in allowing her to join the crew.

"Aye, Captain," McCoy nodded and began to pull a struggling Kirk out of the way.

"Look, sir, that anomaly—"

"Mr. Kirk…" Emily glanced up in surprise, and held back a groan when Spock arrived on the bridge, "is not cleared to be aboard this vessel, Captain."

She knew Spock meant well when he showed up on the bridge. After all, he was only following the rules and regulations like any officer would. The problem was, Kirk was right to warn Pike about the Romulans. If her haunch was right, they would strike before the Enterprise had the chance to get her bearings. They needed to be prepared for an ambush before the Romulans could fire at them.

"I can remove the Cadet," Spock turned to Pike, ignoring whatever crude remarks Kirk made.

"Try it! This Cadet is trying to save the bridge!" Kirk snapped.

"By recommending a full stop mid-warp during a rescue mission?" Spock narrowed his eyes, and it took everything Emily had not to flinch when his gaze traveled from Kirk to her.

"Sir, it's a trap," she cut in.

Everyone except for McCoy and Uhura threw her looks of surprise. Kirk just narrowed his eyes as he wondered why she was helping him rather than letting Spock take him to the brig. He would have thought after everything he said or did, she would have gladly allowed Spock to take over from there.

"And you know of this trap how?" Pike asked warily.

"I was on board the Kelvin when it was attacked, sir," she explained with equal wariness. Pike's expression was impossible to read as she kept her own gaze guarded. "That ship, which had formidable weapons was never seen or heard from again when it attacked the Kelvin and destroyed it."

"Wait a minute, you remembered all of that?" Kirk asked with equal surprise.

Though she had explained what had happened at the trial, he half-expected that was from whatever video footage she was able to find. He never expected to find out that she had remembered everything that happened the day the Kelvin was attacked.

"I have an eidetic memory."

Kirk's mouth fell open as realization dawned on him. He wanted to find something that would go with his earlier accusations. Yet, he finally seemed to understand why she joined SHIELD in the first place. At least, that was her hope.

"Scan Vulcan space for any transmissions in Romulan," Pike finally ordered after debating on the matter.

"Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan," the man sitting at communications admitted.

Exactly how did this idiot get assigned to Communications?

Emily nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Almost everything she learned from Starfleet was that every Cadet was trained in a specific area they flourished in. Clearly, xenolinguistics wasn't this man's personal favorite field of study.

"What about you?" he asked, turning to Uhura. "Can you speak Romulan, Cadet?"

"Uhura, and all three dialects, sir," she replied with a nod.

"Uhura, relieve the Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," she nodded once more and did just that.

"Hannity," Pike turned to one of the other Cadets, "Hail the USS Truman."

The man tapped a few buttons and frowned at the readings that followed, "All the other ships are out of warp, sir, and we have arrived at Vulcan, but we seemed to have lost all contact."

"Sir," Uhura began, "I'm not picking up any Romulan transmission…" She paused and glanced at both Emily and Kirk. Emily swallowed back the fear that threatened to show when she realized something was seriously wrong, "Or transmissions of any kind in the area."

"It's because they're being attacked," Kirk deadpanned knowingly.

A lump formed in the back of her throat as Emily realized too late what had happened. If there were no transmissions, it meant the Romulans were already waiting for them. Kirk must have reached the same conclusion. His jaw was clenched with a look of determination as he straightened his back, clearly aware of the threat that lay ahead of them.

"Shields up, red alert," Pike warned everyone through the com.

Relief swept through Emily when the shields went up, along with a blaring alarm in the background. She leaned against the railing that overlooked the bridge, watching the viewing screen warily. Any hopes she had of keeping them from the Romulan's attack seemed thwarted until that moment.

All the while she could feel McCoy's gaze boring through the back of her head. She knew he had a few choice words after this was all said and done. She never mentioned she was aboard the Kelvin when the ship was ambushed. Worst still, she never mentioned how she'd almost been killed in that incident, or that Emily Hayes was technically dead in the eyes of her parents and the world.

"Arrival in Vulcan," the man sitting at the helm - she was pretty sure that he was Hikaru Sulu - announced, "In five seconds… four… three… two…"

Nothing could have prepared Emily for the horror that would follow. Everyone on the bridge gaped at the grizzly sight before them. Debris from other Starships floated in the dark expanse of space, along with the bodies of other Cadets drifting past. Everything looked as though they had been torn apart.

"My God," was all she could whisper, wishing she could close her eyes from the sight.

"Emergency evasive!" Pike was the first to snap out of his shock and gave the order as chunks of debris floated towards them.

"Running, sir," a Cadet reported.

"Damage report!"

"Deflector shields are holding."

"All stations," he gave the command, and the room sprang into action within seconds as he spoke through the com, "Engineer Olson, report!"

"Full reverse," a voice came through the com from engineering, "Come about starboard about ninety degrees, drop us underneath and…"

"Captain, they're locking torpedoes," Spock reported.

"Divert auxiliary power from port nacelles to forward shields," Pike gave the order, only for the room to jolt as the torpedoes were fired into the ship. "Sulu, status report!"

"Shields at thirty two percent," Sulu reported, "They're weapons are powerful, sir. We can't take another hit like that."

"Get me Starfleet Command."

"Captain," Spock shook his head, "The Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high energy pulse device into the Vulcan atmosphere. Its signal appears to be blocking our communications and transporter abilities."

Unease swept through Emily when she realized what that meant. They were too late. The Romulans hadn't wasted any time in trying to attack Planet Vulcan. Emily had no doubt they were using their technologically advanced ship for that reason.

"Captain, we're being hailed," Uhura reported to Pike.

Pike's brows furrowed together as he tried to pinpoint why the Romulans wanted to talk with them in particular. They had already attacked the other ships and tore them apart. It left Emily wondering what exactly the Romulan's plans were if they had destroyed the other ships.

The situation only went from bad to worse when the viewing screen blinked to life. Emily sucked in a breath when a familiar looking Romulan appeared on the screen. She remembered what Nero looked like before he launched his attack on the Kelvin. To her surprise, he didn't look any different. A shiver of dread swept through her as she found herself staring right back at the Romulan in question.

"Hello," the man greeted.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike," Pike introduced himself, "To whom am I speaking?"

"Hi, Christopher. I'm Nero."

"You've declared war against the Federation. Withdraw. I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral location."

Nero only scoffed at that, "I do not speak for the Empire. We stand apart, as does your Vulcan crew member." His eyes narrowed as he looked at Spock pointedly, "Isn't that right, Spock?"

"Pardon me," Spock began, frowning as he stepped forward while eyeing Nero curiously, "I do not believe that you and I are acquainted."

"No, we're not," Nero agreed. "Not yet. Spock, there's something I would like you to see. Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice." Nero paused to let this sink in. When his eyes shifted towards Emily, she felt her body freeze on instinct. "I want you to take Liaison Hayes with you. You will man a shuttle, and come aboard the Narada for negotiations."

"Why?" McCoy finally demanded after realizing too late what Nero was after.

Emily squeezed her eyes shut when she understood what Nero wanted. If he knew anything about what she was capable of, she knew that he planned on using her. The thought sent shivers of rage through her, especially when she knew it would only end in disaster for everyone. The worst part was hearing him call her out by her birth parents' name. It didn't dawn on her that the Romulan seemed aware of who she was. If he recalled she was there on the bridge at the time of his first attack, then his need for her to join Pike suddenly made sense.

"You do not speak to me, human filth!" Nero spat out the words, and before McCoy could fire something back that would only make things worse, the screen went dark.

"They'll kill you," Kirk deadpanned as the tension on the bridge began to unfold, "You know that."

There wasn't any point in him showing what little concern he had for Emily's safety. She knew by now that it was pointless to keep thinking he would change his mind on her. As Spock and Kirk continued telling him what a bad idea going to the Narada was, Emily felt Pike's gaze shift towards her.

"Wait a minute, you're not actually taking her with you, are you?" McCoy demanded when realization dawned on him.

She hadn't missed the way Pike's eyes narrowed with frustration. Emily knew he must have been thinking of her parents, and the way they lied to everyone. A shiver swept through her when she felt McCoy shift next to her. His eyes were dark with rage as he realized that Pike was actually considering the idea of dragging her on the Narada.

"You were supposed to be dead anyways," he deadpanned without missing a beat. Emily sucked in a breath after realizing what he meant by that. "Taking you with me wouldn't make a difference."

He doesn't care if I die or not, she realized.

"The hell it would!" McCoy snapped after staring at the man in disbelief. "Do you really think it's gonna make a difference whether or not she goes with you?"

"Leonard…" Emily threw McCoy a warning look when he debated whether Pike was in his right mind. "Please don't make this any worse than it is."

McCoy's jaw clenched when his eyes met hers. Despite the anger and frustration she felt towards Kirk, she couldn't stop herself from realizing that this was what they needed to buy the others time to stop the drill. If anything, it would give Spock time to figure out how to save anyone on Planet Vulcan from their untimely demise.

He didn't bother answering right away. Instead, he glared at Pike and finally let them pass.